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Mate, who grew up playing and practising alongside Meitei children, finds it impossible to comprehend the prevailing hatred and violence...
Digital Desk: Dreams truly can be very costly, here's we will tell you about young Ngamgouhou Mate who was forced to leave his uncle's home along with the entire colony of Khongsai Veng in Imphal on May 4, he hastily hurled his football boots and academic diplomas in his suitcase and went.
However, the 15-year-old, who recently captained India to the U16 SAFF Cup triumph in Bhutan, had no idea he would never return to the country where he had spent the previous four years pursuing his ambition of playing the Beautiful Game.
Mobs razed Khonsai Veng, a Kuki minority region in East Imphal, barely hours after Mate and his relatives fled to a nearby school for safety. "My uncle's house was destroyed by fire. We had lost everything. My Scooty, which I used to get to the club for practice, had been ravaged by fire. I simply packed my football boots and some documents and departed," Mate stated.
He further added, "It was the place where my football journey began, but it's no longer, he has been stuck since returning from Bhutan. Mate stated while talking in a telephonic conversation with Indian Express. Mate, on the other hand, continues to practise at the local field and visits the gym as part of his training regimen.
On September 10, Mate's team won the SAFF Cup after defeating Bangladesh in the final. Mate was continually concerned about the safety of his family back home while being on national duty. On the morning of the semifinal versus Maldives, he received word that his parents' home in the Tengnoupal region of Pallel was under attack. According to reports, Pallel experienced new violence just last week.
"As soon as the game ended, I ran to call my parents to see if they were okay. They had already left the area," Mate recalls. He hoped that in a few days, things would quiet down and he would be able to return home with his championship medal and rejoice.
"I planned to go home and celebrate with my family." I have three older sisters, all of whom are fantastic cooks. They would have prepared me pork and chicken. But because the situation is still unpredictable, I'm compelled to stay," adds Mate, who hasn't seen his family in over four months.
Renedy Singh, a former India international and the club's technical director, is mentoring a promising midfielder. The midfielder moved to his uncle's house to train at Imphal's Classic Football Academy, where he was going to prepare for the June junior national trials, the midfielder needed a suitable training atmosphere. Renedy used his contacts to arrange for the midfielder to stay in a hostel and use training facilities in Siliguri.
"Before midnight, the Indian Army arrived and escorted us to the nearby Naga settlement. After we left, rioters invaded the school and set fire to all of the vehicles parked in the compound. Later, someone emailed me photos of my neighbourhood, which had been completely destroyed by fire." Mate's uncle Lhunkhosei stated.
Mate and his uncle recall the circumstances on May 4, when they were forced to evacuate. Around 1,500 people were crowded in the school compound, waiting for aid to arrive.
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